Problems In Paradise
by daydreamer-022
Summary: One Shot. Michael accidently reads Mia's diary, and doesn't like what he reads.


This is a one shot. No more chapters.  
  
I wrote this cos Liss (my beta for all those who don't know, Hi Liss! *waves*) is demanding a realistic fic where they break up for good, and that's not just fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff. And while I plan on writing that one still, it might not be for a while. It'll be called 'Light Years' though. I have the title, but nothing else. Haha.  
  
So this one isn't as fluffy as my usual standard, but it'll all turn out good in the end. I think it's just a bit different from the usual fluff on here, so I hope you like it.  
  
Thanks to GAM for bothering to edit for me cos I'm lazy.  
  
Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns all characters.  
  
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Mia was trying to cram for an Algebra test one Thursday morning. She'd completly forgotten they were having it until Mr. G had reminded her at breakfast.  
  
Lilly and Michael slid into the back seat of the limo and Mia muttered a hello, but resumed studying.  
  
"What are you doing?" Michael asked her, sitting beside her.  
  
"Studying," Mia replied flatly.  
  
"Did you forget about a test or something?"  
  
"Yep. And I'm gonna fail if I don't study," Mia hinted.  
  
"Need any help?"  
  
"Geez, Michael," Lilly cut in. "She's trying to study so shut up."  
  
"I'm just trying to help, Lilly."  
  
"Yeah, well she doesn't want your help, do you, Mia?"  
  
Mia didn't want to hurt Michael's feelings, but she really did just want him to sit there quietly. "Cut it out, both of you. I'll study on my own."  
  
"See, Michael, I told you she..."  
  
"Lilly!" Mia cried, really getting stressed now.  
  
"Sorry, we'll be quiet now."  
  
Neither of them spoke for the rest of the way to school, but Michael couldn't help but think Mia was actually upset with him. He'd only been trying to help.  
  
* * *  
  
Mia walked out of Algebra with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she hadn't done well in that test. She'd be surprised if she passed at all.  
  
"How'd you go?" a voice behind her said, and an arm slipped around her waist.  
  
She turned around to face Michael. "Horrible. I'm sure I failed." She pulled back from his grasp.  
  
"Oh come on, be positive. I'm sure you didn't do as badly as you think," he said encouragingly.  
  
He was a bit surprised that she'd pulled back from him. Usually it was her who was always trying to show public displays of affection and him pulling back. But now that he was actually making an effort in order to make her feel a little better, she was pulling back from him. Something seemed very wrong with this situation.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. I have to go." Then she turned and left him standing in the middle of the hallway, a confused expression on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
Boris was locked away in the closet playing his violin, but everyone in G&T could still hear him.  
  
"God," Mia thought. "He's so annoying, can't he just shut up?"  
  
Michael was tutoring her in Algebra, so that when Mr. G told her she didn't do so well she could at least say she's improved since then. But the constant scraping of Boris' violin wasn't helping her concentrate.  
  
"Is something wrong, Mia?" Michael asked her, sensing that there was.  
  
"I just can't concentrate. Not with that racket." She indicated towards the supply closet.  
  
"Boris always plays in the closet, aren't you used to it?"  
  
"Yeah, well today it's just getting on my nerves. I'm sorry, can we just do this tomorrow or something?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Michael said, a little dejected.  
  
Mia opened her diary and began scribbling furiously.  
  
"Her diary," Michael thought to himself. "She tells it what she can't even tell me. Oh God, she's not writing about me, is she?"  
  
Michael diverted his eyes from the diary. It was private and he had no right to look in it, even if he thought it would answer some questions about why she is so short with him today. If he wanted to know what was wrong, he just had to ask her. Mia would tell him, wouldn't she?  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, when Lilly and Michael got into the limo, they could see Mia was no happier than the day before.  
  
"What's wrong?" Michael asked tentatively, hoping she wouldn't bite his head off.  
  
"Mr. G corrected our tests last night, I saw him. And I asked him how I went but he wouldn't tell me. I just know I failed!"  
  
She took Michael by surprise by leaning forward and burying her face in his chest, almost crying.  
  
He reacted by putting his arm around her.  
  
"Geez, Mia, melodramatic much? You probably did fine. Stop stressing."  
  
"Stop stressing? Easy for you to say, Lill, you most likely aced it. No problem for you, right?"  
  
"Whatever," Lilly replied, going back to her book and leaving Mia to sulk in Michael's arms.  
  
* * *  
  
Mia was still stressing over her test at lunchtime. Mr. G hadn't given them their results yet, apparently he hadn't finished them all.  
  
Michael and Boris came over and sat down next to her, Boris was talking about someone called Joshua Bell.  
  
"Hey," Michael said, sitting down next to her.  
  
But Mia wasn't interested. She stood up, picked up her tray and walked outside. Michael heard her mutter, "I don't have the patience for this," just before she left.  
  
"What's up with her?" Lilly asked a flabbergasted Michael.  
  
"I have no idea, but I'd really like to know..."  
  
* * *  
  
Michael walked into G&T and sat in the row behind the one he, Mia and Lilly usually sat in. Clearly Mia didn't want to sit next to him, so why should he make her uncomfortable?  
  
When Mia walked in she was surprised to see Michael sitting behind them, but she didn't say anything about it. She just asked him if he was ok.  
  
Michael was now more confused than ever. He was getting mixed signals all over the place and he didn't understand why she was hot one minute and cold the next.  
  
Instead of saying, "What do you mean am I ok? You're the crazy one!" like he felt like saying, he settled for "Fine," and went back to his computer.  
  
Mia, unsure of Michael's decision to sit away from her, chose to ignore it and opened her diary.  
  
A few minutes later she turned to Lilly. "So, Lilly, it's Friday night, should I come over at seven like usual?"  
  
Michael pricked up his ears. "At least she still wants to come over," he thought.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you, Boris is coming over. But you and Michael can still hang around, I guess, we're only going to be watching movies."  
  
Michael was just about to open his mouth to say that that sounded like a great idea when Mia beat him to it.  
  
"No, that's ok. I think I'll just have a quiet one at home."  
  
Then she stood up and said she was going to the bathroom, Lilly said she'd join her.  
  
As soon as they'd gone, Michael noticed Mia had left her diary open on the desk where anyone walking by could see it.  
  
Looking out for her privacy, Michael got up to close it from prying eyes. But something on the page caught his eye and he couldn't help but read it.  
  
"...... He's always hanging around. I hate it. I feel smothered by him and uncomfortable. He sat with us at lunch again today and I just couldn't stand it so I had to walk away, I couldn't even stay at the same table as him.  
  
But I don't want this to affect my relationship with Lilly, she's still my best friend......"  
  
Michael sank back into his seat, he was numb, he couldn't feel anything.  
  
What did this mean? Is it over?  
  
A minute later Mia walked back into the room as if nothing had happened.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Michael was still thinking about what he'd seen.  
  
Realising that he wouldn't be able to sleep with it weighing on his mind, he decided to go see Mia to talk about it. And since he knew she was going to be home tonight, he wasted no time getting over there.  
  
Mia answered the door and was surprised to see Michael standing there. "Michael!" she cried, sounding genuinely pleased to see him.  
  
"Hello, Mia," Michael said, a certain bluntness to his tone.  
  
They went into Mia's room, leaving the door slightly open, as was the rule.  
  
"Is everything ok?" Mia asked, she could tell by the way he was pacing the small room that it was not.  
  
"I don't know. You tell me," he replied.  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, is there something you want to tell me? Anything at all? You know you can tell me anything, Mia. And if you want to... break up, I'd prefer you just told me and got it over with."  
  
Mia jumped off the bed where she'd been sitting. "Michael, what are you talking about? I don't want to break up!"  
  
"You... you don't?"  
  
"No, but if you do, then tell me now! Is that why you didn't sit with me in G&T?" Tears were pricking the corners of her eyes.  
  
"No, of course I don't, but... I thought you did..."  
  
"Why would you think that?"  
  
"Well, recently, you've been really short with me, and you moved when I sat down at lunch..."  
  
"Michael, I was stressing over my stupid test. Not everything is about you. And I moved at lunch today because of Boris."  
  
"Boris?"  
  
"Yes, Boris. I'm getting so sick of him. I don't know how Lilly can put up with him. And I was already upset about my test, I just couldn't tolerate him like usual. So I walked away, I'm sorry."  
  
Michael felt a wave of relief wash over him, followed by a wave of stupidity.  
  
"So... would you say you feel smothered by him?" Michael asked, remembering what he'd read in her diary.  
  
"Yes, exactly... How did you know that?"  
  
"I... accidentally read your diary earlier. I didn't mean to, I swear. I was closing it so that no one else would read it, but I saw a bit about how you feel smothered by someone and I thought it was about me. I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh, Michael, you doofus. I'd never write anything bad about you! And I'd never want to break up either. Now come here..."  
  
Michael sheepishly walked towards her. "What?" he asked.  
  
"Well, you've felt neglected recently, I want to make it up to you," she told him, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him close.  
  
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I told you it'd all be hunky dory at the end! I'll defintely let you know when I put 'Light Years' up that it won't be so happy.   
  
Please review, I try not to bug you guys about it like certain other people (*cough* Lucie *cough cough* haha) but I like reviews too. 


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